SMOKE AND MAGIC

SMOKE AND MAGIC

The news this month was all about Apple’s new iPad device. I must admit that Apple got me going with their pitch line: “... a magical and revolutionary device at an unbelievable price.” This nine-word tag includes some pretty bold claims.

Trademarks receive much less media attention than patents or copyrights – at least in open source circles – but it looks like the trademark buzz might be heating up again with the recentnews that a company in China called Proview owns the name “iPad” and is preparing to throw down with Apple over the use of it. The fact that iPads are actually made in China adds urgency to this problem, with the company threatening to stop all exports until Apple settles.